Monk Straps

I am experiencing something of a dilemma at the moment; having recently become an employee of Reiss I am finding myself in the position of having to develop some kind of uniform, I am currently only allowed to wear all black, but whilst I have identified most of the clothes, the footwear is still a bit of an issue.

As you may, or may not be aware I HATE cheap shoes. I am currently having to suffer with a pair of god awful, hateful and uncomfortable black derbys from Topman (because I didn't want to spend a fortune on something that I'll be wearing for 4 weeks) but I am of course going to have to upgrade to something more appropriate when the time comes.

I don't like boots with tailored trousers so my desert/chukka and brogue boots are out of the question. I have a pair of suede loafers which I shall be breaking out every so often during the warmer months but I would also like to invest in something more suitable for wet weather and colder temperatures.

I find myself wanting to avoid brogues; loafers won't be entirely suitable and oxfords and derbys are a little to suit related. To this end I have settled on Monk Straps as the answer, trouble is I'm struggling to find that many. Can you guys suggest anything?

I thought you said you have to wear all black? Black and brown makes a frown, don't you think?

Apologies, I should've explained better. I have to wear all black for the next three weeks, after which I shall be able to wear other colours, I'm going to be wearing grey or blue trousers so brown is the direction I want to go.

I have found a couple of Loakes that I like; I think a trip up to their Picadilly store might be in order though, give them a proper looking into.

Love monk straps, been hunting for a decent pair at an affordable price for ages. For me I have been looking at either suede or burgundy options for a slightly more casual look. Edward green seems to have some classy ones at the real top end.

I love the Loake brand but mine hurt and i can't seem to break them in. I was beginning to think I may steer clear of them in the future. I also think those straps look a little close together.<br>
<br>
Here's my ridiculous option:<br>
<br>
<a href="http://leffot.com/shop/edward-green-dark-oak-westminster/" target="_blank">Shop</a><br>
<br>
Less ridiculous:<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.sidmashburn.com/shop/footwear/sid-mashburn-double-monk-strap-brown-burnish.html" target="_blank">Sid Mashburn Double Monk Strap / SidMashburn.com</a><br>
<a href="http://shop.tigerofsweden.com/gb/item/U45173001/?partner=5331&amp;t_type=src&amp;t_type=cat" target="_blank">Clive shoe - Tiger of Sweden Shop<br>
<br>
</a>They're actually not the easiest to find

I really love the first two examples, if money wasn't so much of a constraint I'd be all over these from Crockett and Jones:

Will, currently working part time at Reiss too! Get the suede dubs on your 75% trust me, you'll never look back. I've got them right now and where them with everything.

"Style is more character than clothes, more attitude than affluence. It’s you making visible your inner self. So forget what you learned about appearance not counting; you can no longer afford to be without style." - Hara Estroff Morano